No Condemnation - The Bonds of Sin are Loosed

I was studying Romans today and gained clarity on some wonderful old truth...







There is now no condemnation for us who are in Christ Jesus! Rom 8:1

The resulting punishment was severe. Man was sentenced to death and so death has reigned since the time of Adam. It is easy to remember the final blow of God's judgment by punishing men in Hell, yet the punishment does not start there, for as a murderer awaits execution in his cell so we await God's final judgment in the prison of our own sin.

From the days of Adam all humanity is born under a curse. Being sinful by nature I am separated from God and am left with no capacity to do good. The God of Holiness leaves me captive to my own corruption:
"...since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind..." Rom 1:28

Here then is a very powerful truth. If we are not guilty of sin before God we are no longer under his judgment. In Christ we have the promise of the resurrection in the future, but more than that our salvation is now. Today the sin that separates from God is wholly removed - I dwell in the goodness of GOd and once again his goodness dwells in me. Christ has loosed from us the bonds of sin today. We are no longer given over to a depraved mind but are controlled by the Spirit. Rom 8:9

Like all promises of scripture, this one is realised in the life of the believer by faith. For this reason we are to "count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus." Rom 6:11 Sin is not merely a habit to be broken, it is an impregnable fortress prison from which no one escapes. Sin is the holding cell in which we await the final judgement of God, but thanks be to Jesus who took the full punishment on the cross. We are now free from guilt, condemnation and punishment. God has taken the punishment upon himself in Christ and in Him we now taste the sweet air of freedom.

If you want power to conquer sin, there is power in the blood of Jesus.

It is finished!

Weakness

I feel so weak. In a single day I can feel so full of joy then all of a sudden a wave of depression and frustration rolls over me. As I dwell on the beauty of Christ I can be moved even to tears of joy and I long only to see Him face to face. As the day moves on so do my moods. I then find myself feeling overcome with loneliness, depression, frustration and hopelessness. This is how I feel now. I feel desperate and empty. I don't know why I feel this way. Moreover I feel powerless to pull myself out of it. I can find no sound reason for it. It just is.

At such a time I quickly find myself praying. To my delight I find such prayers are promptly answered as God shows me again His faithfulness. I might leave prayer feeling much the same, yet in due course God restores my soul and I find peace and joy in Him.

The joy of the Lord is my strength! Yet without His joy I feel utterly weak. I then remember Paul's command.. Rejoice in the Lord! Joy is to be found in the Lord and nowhere else. I am compelled to abide in Him for apart from Him I can do nothing. I am in Him and His truth is at work in me. God is good and I know it! There is strength in me yet :)

James O. Fraser on Prayer

James O. Fraser was a missionary to the Lisu tribes in Southwestern China in the early nineteen hundreds. His biography tells of climbing thousands of feet into mountains, facing armed robbery, snow and demonic opposition to bring the gospel to a people who have never heard. During years of seemingly fruitless service he was pushed to pray and by these prayers the Lisu have come to Christ in their thousands. Through study of the word he came to a deeper knowledge of faith and prayer which brought him to see some interesting distinctions. The most interesting to me now is the distinction between general prayer and the prayer of faith.

Here are some of Fraser's own words: "In general prayer I am limited by my ignorance. But this kind of prayer is the duty of us all however vague it may be...
...But definate prayer is a very different matter. It is in a special sense 'the prayer of faith.' A definate request is made in definate faith for a definate answer."

Like The Doctor, Spurgeon, the Apostles James and John and Jesus himself, Fraser writes that a man may be lead be the Spirit of God to pray for a definate thing and leave in joy knowing that his request has already been granted. (Mark 11:24)

When we end our prayers with "if it be in your will" we are admitting we do not know the will of God. God requires prayers of this kind and after Christ there is no man that knows fully the mind of Christ. However he still calls all believers to enjoy the greater gift of the prayer of faith.

Praying in Jesus' Name?

The following post is based on a journal entry I wrote 11/07/07.

Today I have been reading about and dwelling on prayer. I have been reminded that the primary purpose of prayer is not to talk TO God, but to have communion WITH him. This fact sheds light on what it means to pray 'in the Spirit' and 'in Jesus' name'. To pray in Jesus' name means to pray in his power and authority, and as he has been given dominion over all things any prayer made in his name must be heard. But how can a mere man pray in the power and authority of Christ. Clearly any such prayer must have its origin in the will and purpose of Christ, both in the general sense and the specific. If our prayers are to be according to the will of God in the specific sense then we must also know the will of God for our immediate situation. The only way we can know such things is if the Spirit himself discloses them to us. In the third diagram below you can see how the person caught up in the Spirit and drawn into line with it.


As the human soul is willfully subjected to the Spirit we see a wonderful partnership is born and prayer becomes powerful, effective and exciting. Such a prayer requires a quiet and contrite heart and and that at times we may need to listen more than we speak. It means that as our prayers are directed by the Spirit we may be lead to ask for things outside our own will and even contrary to it. This joy is one of the highest priveledges of the Christian. To have the Eternal Almighty whisper gently into the ears of his people the things closest to his heart, and then have his people turn to act and pray in great confidence knowing their every effort will be fulfilled. We truly have become friends of God!

If we can pray in the Spirit I would suggest that we can also pray in the flesh. Such a prayer involves us presenting our own soulish desires to God. These prayers made in faith and humility are often honoured and accepted by God in his mercy (see type 2). They are Godly and in them the Father finds delight. However on other occasions a prayer from the human will is merely the expression of an arrogant heart calling it's creator to submission(see type 1). Such perverse arrogance will only be answered by the wrath and judgement of God that is heaped ever higher, one prayer at a time. If this is our primary mode of talking to God I would suggest we do not test His patience and grace and repent now while we can. If we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins.

Upon reading scripture and history and reflecting upon personal experience I am convinced that prayer in the Spirit is intended to be an integral part of the normal Christian life and a source of great assurance, guaranteeing what has been promised to us in the coming age. This is part of the promise of a living relationship with God realised through God's Spirit who lives in us who have been made alive in Christ.

More later.

In Him,
Joshua

3 Tips For Getting Through The OT... and Loving It!

Many people find the Old Testement boring, irrelevant, tedious and looong. Here are 3 simple things I do to maximise my own reading and they have never failed me.

1. Come Hungry
Bible reading is more a spiritual activity than just a mental one and therefore your spiritual condition will impact how you read. Therefore before you approach any text come before God in earnest prayer and ask him to open your heart and mind to what he has to say. If you do not yearn to hear from Him, ask that he might stir that desire within your heart. I promise you this is a prayer he will be glad to hear!

2. Don't get bogged down!
People have a habit of reading the bible a few verses or just a chapter at a time. This is even recommended by some in order to make bible reading easier. This does not work in the OT. If you read only very small portions you will not see the big picture. It will take you a month or two to finish a single book and you will have no grasp of the great themes and ideas of the text. You will feel lost in the text and just as Israel lost in the desert longed for the promised land, you will long for the promised New Testament. Set aside real time to read large portions of scripture in regular sittings and you will feel much better. Not only will you finish the Bible sooner (as in less than a decade) but you will understand it better and find greater joy in your reading as you get a clearer view of God and his work throughout history.

3. Be happy with having unanswered questions.
Upon your first reading you may only understand 5%. It is tempting to be discouraged by the 95% and some even find this a challenge to their faith. No one fathoms all mysteries and there are questions that even the greatest theologians have to put aside. You can expect also that with each reading your understanding ill grow and that the 95% is waiting to be discovered upon your next reading. In regards to our attitude to the word; even the starving beggar eats with joy small scraps from the garbage. How much more should we delight in even the tiniest crumbs that fall from heavens table?


"How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth! "
Psalm 119:103

Happy reading :)

Keep Watch!

"Devote Yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." - Colossions 4:2

Here is something that is vital for every believer. There are many ways in which the enemy waits to assail us. He has devised so many traps and has set them at every corner of every street. Oh how we need to be watchful! The deceptive nature of the human heart is always ready to lead us astray. As soon as I leave the company of believers and am busied by the world, the basic desires of the mortal heart gently lead me away. How prone are we to sin! To look lustfully on a passing woman, to be wooed by the latest mobile phone or to despise someone for being more successful than myself is all too easy!
The prayerful man is a watchful man. He who devotes himself to prayer walks through this world with his eyes opened to both the divine and the depraved. He sees the snares of the enemy before him. Better than that, he is ready to reach out his hand to keep his brother from falling. The prayerful man becomes a help to his brother who, too busy dreaming of a promotion, has walked right into the devils snare. Every child of God must devote themselves to prayer. How many of the saints are now no caught in all manner of traps and snares because they have not kept watch! We must be devoted to prayer!

The prayerful man is a thankful man! He has daily joy in special communion with the Lord. His asks of God and receives all he desires because his desires are shaped the One he seeks above all. He watches each day and sees God's divine providence as he is rescued from temptation and enjoys victory over the traps of the world. His heart is filled with joy to overflowing because he walks daily in the close company of his master. There is much to thank God for if only we would open our eyes to see it.

I desire to walk in the blessing and power of the Spirit but seem ever week and defeated. I resolve now not to walk in the flesh according to its desires, but to keep in step with the Spirit. Through prayer I lay hold of the promises of God in scripture and receive power from the Spirit for godly living.

I will devote myself to prayer!

He Takes My Breath Away!

I was reflecting on Christ's relationship to his creation and had a thought that totally blew my mind!

I was thinking about time travel and how some scientist see it as a theoretical possibility. It is hard to comprehend because our view of time is linear. Then I remembered how Jesus said "Before Abraham was, I am."... obviously Jesus sees things a bit differently from us. His view is not linear and therefore his experience of time is totally unique. Moreover, if eternity is merely time without beginning or end, then I would suggest that Jesus lives even beyond even this great expanse. If Jesus experiences all time in a single moment then he must truly be beyond time and therefore, to Him, even eternity itself is neither linear nor cyclical but a mere speck, floating in the vastness of Gods imagining; A spot of nothing suspended and sustained WITHIN the embrace of Him who is everything.

Jesus blows my mind!